We read an interesting article on the BBC news website about ten common dilemmas for sending Christmas cards at that time of year. The article raises interesting points about this annual custom, including buying in bulk, sending duplicate cards to people who are bound to see them and sending a round robin letter that includes an update on how life is going.

The informative article also talks about the cost of sending Christmas cards. The cost of postage has risen from £1.52 in 2011 to £1.62 in 2012. According to the article the sending and writing of Christmas cards has become outdated.

The Greeting Card Association says that £15 million is made for charities solely on the sale of Christmas Cards.

This large and prosperous market will attract private or business enterprise onto the bandwagon at that time of year.

Having personal address and access to the virtual mail service can produce a dilemma. Will an electronic greeting card delivered by email suffice? On the other hand, will sending the customary Christmas card through the offline postal service be the card that is expected? Or both?

It is also customary to give a Christmas card with a present. Receiving a gift without a card just doesn’t seem right somehow. Another dilemma appears.

Do we add a handwritten card or just the card with its own Christmas message, which is usually a standard greeting?

Finally, there is the issue of recycling. The Greeting Card Association assures us that 90% of Christmas cards are made from sustainably farmed trees.

However, what about the other 10% and how do we recycle them. Over 952 million non-multi pack single Christmas cards were sold in 2012. That’s many cards to be recycled.

The article had us thinking about contacting family, friends and businesses, not just at Christmas time but also throughout the year. Here are some pointers we produced.

1.Collecting contact information is a simple task and should be done regularly when an opportunity arises. The information should be an address including the correct postal code, a telephone number, mobile number, email address and website address. These details can easily be added into a data base for future reference.

2.Using a combination of email and the postal service gives you the best of both worlds. Cards can be sent out with a website address where information can be found: perhaps a video message or written text message for example. Email can be used for sending information via text or a video or audio message.

3.Adding that personal touch to your communications is a great way to give a little special something. Hand written messages, gifts or auto -response will mean a lot more with that special added touch.

4.Regular Newsletters are a good way of informing people about the events and activities of a business or personal life. The modern Newsletter would include a video link and images along with useful information to benefit the reader.